1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to games and, more specifically, to pinball games.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, many games have been proposed in which a ball is made to traverse a playing surface for a variety of objects, depending on the design of the particular game. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,975,019; 4,039,191; 2,219,898; and 2,212,097 are considered to be generally illustrative of such games. Probably, the most widely accepted of games of this nature are known as pin-ball games, sometimes also referred to as bumper pool games. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,501,021; and 2,727,743 are considered to be illustrative.
These pinball games have generally included a bumper of some kind which diverts the direction of a ball that encounters the bumper. Many times, the bumpers are kicker-type bumpers in which the ball triggers a sensing mechanism that activates the bumper such that it impacts the ball with sufficient force to accelerate it away from the bumper. These kicker-type bumpers are generally complex devices which have posed persistant problems with respect to reliability and expense. Kicker-type bumpers have now been perfected to the point where they have achieved acceptable reliability. However, due to their complexity, the cost of these kicker-type bumpers has remained relatively high so that their use is almost exclusively restricted to pinball games intended for commercial use. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,322,091; 2,487,979; 3,857,567; 3,826,883; 3,785,653; 3,180,646; and 2,328,667 are considered to be generally illustrative of kicker-type bumpers intended for commercial use.
There has, however, also existed a market for entertainment games such as pinball games which are suitable for private use. Accordingly, there existed need in prior art games, and particularly pinball games, for a kicker-type bumper which was reliable but yet inexpensive enough to permit its use in non-commercial applications, such as games designed for home enjoyment.